VERIFY: Fact-checking Trump's national emergency speech

Here's what was verified as true and false during President Trump's declaration of a national emergency, Friday.

Author:
Jason Puckett, David Tregde

Published:
2:29 PM PST February 15, 2019

Updated:
6:41 PM PST February 15, 2019

President Donald Trump on Friday declared a national emergency at the U.S.-Mexico border, moving to secure more money for his long-promised wall.

Our VERIFY researchers fact-checked claims made throughout the announcement:

“We’ve been losing, on average, $375 billion with China. A lot of people think it’s $506 billion….”

Verified - but reflects 2017 numbers instead of 2018.

President Trump’s claim is backed up by data from the United States Census Bureau. Their charts show U.S. trade with China broken down by imports and exports. In 2018, the U.S. had a negative $382 billion trade with China. Trump’s number matches the 2017 data, which showed a $375 billion deficit to China.

“They say walls don't work. Walls work 100 percent.”

False.

While the president doesn’t specify which specific walls or barriers he’s referring to, a 100 percent claim requires there to have been no instances of someone crossing the barrier. Since there have been numerous examples of the southern border barriers being climbed, dug under or driven around the claim that they work 100 percent are false.

“I want to thank Mexico. They have their own problems. They have the largest number of murders that they've ever had in their history, almost 40,000 murders. 40,000.”

Verified - 2018 had the highest number of murders in Mexico, but Trump’s number is slightly off.

Mexico’s Public Safety Secretary posted data showing the total number of homicides in Mexico. A chart showing murders in Mexico through November, 2018 listed 40,115 homicides. An updated version of that chart showing murders through December of 2018 listed 50,341 homicides.

“I'm going to be signing a national emergency. And it's been signed many times before. It's been signed by other presidents. From 1977 or so, it gave the presidents the power.”

Verified - but the act actually became law in 1976.

The National Emergencies Act was signed into law in 1976. Since its creation, 59 national emergencies have been declared including the one Friday by President Trump. This is the fourth national emergency declared by President Trump. President Obama declared 11 over his two terms.There are 32 declarations currently in effect.

“Last year, 70,000 Americans were killed at least -- I think the number is ridiculously low, by drugs, including meth and heroin and cocaine, fentanyl.”

Verified.

In 2017, the most recent year for CDC records, there were 70,237 overdose deaths from drugs in the U.S.

“[In China] a drug dealer gets a thing called the death penalty.”

Verified.

China is one of 33 countries in the world, identified by Amnesty International, that uses the death penalty as punishment for drug trafficking. The exact numbers of how many people are executed for this crime are unknown. China does not publicly share them.